She peeked at Adam, and he nodded.
“You men are stealing the best women from me, and while I’d love to see you settled down, too, Garret, Lissa is an asset I’m not keen to see swept off her feet and carted away by a knight in shining armor.”
A smile slowly spread over my face at her praise of Lissa over that of myself—who I knew too well. “The best, huh?”
“Well, if Mrs. Hummel seems to think she’s right for you, who am I to argue?”
Lily had a point, and I couldn’t decide if fear or excitement churned my guts.
Mrs. Hummel meandered back in, coffee pot in hand, and I watched her while she refilled our cups.
“What’s up that sleeve of yours?” I asked as hot liquid poured into my emptied mug. Seated, I still found myself on eye level with the tiny, but domineering woman.
She straightened and met my stare dead on with enough sass to make me chuckle.
“You need a strong handed man, Tillie girl.”
She huffed. “If’n any man lay a hand on this here backside, I’ll take a pan to his head.”
We all laughed, knowing she spoke the truth.
“Where’s your wallet, boy?” she tossed out while turning away with a smirk.
I checked my jeans pockets, not remembering if I’d grabbed it off the bureau or not. I blinked, my smile still in place as Adam and Lily glanced between us.
“What are you playing at?” I asked Mrs. Hummel again before she could disappear back into the kitchen.
“I done sent Lissa to clean the church this morning.”
I jerked my head to the left, peering out the windows to the church in the distance.
“That girl done need a strong hand,” Mrs. Hummel continued as my heart rate kicked up. “She’s like you, Mrs. Lily Rose, and will bloom back to life with the right man. Someone like my boy Garret, here.”
The kitchen door swished shut behind her meddlesome ass, and I stood, second cup of coffee ignored.
“Good luck!” Adam’s chuckle followed me out the door into the gardens.